Tortured between Two Hells: A Qualitative Analysis of the Collective Social Normalization of the Trafficking of Brides from Myanmar to China

Author: Hoi-Chun Hung, Alvin

Abstract: This article investigates bride trafficking from Myanmar to China. Using archival research, original historical public and private records were examined from 2000 to 2019 in China and Myanmar. Narratives reflecting the experiences of 45 trafficked women from Myanmar and 15 Chinese husbands were analyzed. Results reveal that bride buying is presumed by people in many Chinese communities as a form of normalized social behavior and that trafficked brides are often dehumanized as out-group members. Lacking decisive legal action by the Chinese government this form of human trafficking will continue unabated.

Keywords: bride trafficking, social normalization, infrahumanization